


All the Time

by neutronstarcollision



Series: With a Little Help From Our Friend [2]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-08
Updated: 2017-06-08
Packaged: 2018-11-10 20:23:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11134080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neutronstarcollision/pseuds/neutronstarcollision
Summary: Auston Matthews ends up having the world's most awkward conversation with Connor McDavid about Mitch Marner.





	All the Time

**Author's Note:**

> Part 1 of this series was originally intended as a standalone fic, but the ending seemed to suggest to both myself and the lovely people who commented on it that there was still more story to tell. I started thinking of what Mitch would want to say to Connor in the offseason, except somehow in my mind Connor got to talk to Auston first, so here's what happened next...

When Auston had mentioned to his agent Pat that the Leafs had asked him how he felt about taking on the captaincy when he was ready for it during his end-of-season interview, he didn’t expect that it would lead to him having the world’s most awkward conversation with _Connor McDavid._ About Mitch. Of course. Because everything in Auston’s life these days seemed to revolve around Mitch.

Pat had told him that it was a huge honour to be even asked about his feelings about the captaincy, and had understood when Auston had admitted that it was a lot to think about. It was Pat who had suggested that he speak to players in the league who had been young captains, and had even suggested putting him in touch with Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews, who of course had been two of the youngest captains in league history, and who also happened to be his clients.

Auston had appreciated the gesture, but truthfully, the idea of talking to Crosby and Toews about something so personal intimidated him. They were two of the top players in the league who had won everything that there was to win and he was just a guy who was starting out in the league. He was sure that they would be understanding, helpful and non-judgmental, but the idea of opening up his own insecurities to two future Hockey Hall of Famers terrified him, although he had just simply told told Pat that he’d think about it.

He had ended up telling his parents about both what the Leafs had asked him and what Pat had said when he returned to Arizona after the Leafs playoff run ended, and they had been the ones to suggest that he talk to someone his own age who had gone through it recently.

“Why don’t you try talking to Connor McDavid?” his mom had asked. “You said that you guys got along really well at the World Cup and the All-Star Weekend and he seems like he’d understand your concerns.”

“Oh that’s a good idea,” his dad had agreed. “I’m sure that he’s had the same questions that you have.”

“It would probably be easier than talking to Crosby and Toews, though I’m sure they’re very nice,” his mom had added.

Auston had told them that he’d consider it, and they’d nodded and let him move onto another topic. His parents were great that way - they were always there for him, but they never nagged and always understood when he needed to think through something on his own.

Auston and Connor hadn’t really communicated regularly during the season beyond a few brief texts, like when Connor had congratulated him on his four-goal NHL debut and when Auston had congratulated Connor on winning the Art Ross. But Auston had liked spending time with him at the World Cup and at All-Star Weekend, and they had established a good rapport.

There was something about Connor that reminded Auston of himself. Not in personality, exactly, although they were both prone to being serious and competitive on the ice, but more so in their situations and the expectations that they both had resting on their shoulders. Not that Auston knew what it was like being called McJesus, the next generational player to follow Crosby, the next Oilers legend to follow Gretzky, or any of that, of course. But they were both playing in hockey-mad markets for teams whose fans yearned for a return to greatness, and both were heralded by their respective markets as the young star who would lead them to greatness. Auston could identify a fair bit with what he knew Connor was experiencing, and he got the impression that Connor felt the same way about him.

So a few days after the Oilers had been eliminated from the playoffs - Auston had figured that Connor wouldn’t have wanted to be bothered fresh from a playoff exit - he found himself texting Connor:

 _Hey Davo,_ \- they had quickly started using each other’s nicknames when they had been on Team North America and those had stuck past the World Cup - _sorry to bother you but do you have some time this week for a quick chat? I’d like to ask you some questions about something hockey-related and you seem like the best person to ask. No rush though - thanks._

Auston hadn’t expected an immediate reply, but, recalling what Mitch - see, everything reminded him of Mitch these days - had told him about Connor being a straight-A student while lighting up the OHL and what he’d heard from guys in the league about his ability to juggle a million commitments, maybe he should have, because Connor replied almost instantly:

_Hey Matts, it’s good to hear from you. I’ve got some time today, if you’re free. Let me know!_

And that’s how he had ended up FaceTiming with Connor McDavid. They had started off exchanging sympathies about their respective playoff exits - Connor had even admitted to cheering for the Leafs (“can’t help it, you can take the boy out of Toronto…” he had said with a grin, and Auston had remembered Mitch - of course, Mitch - saying the same thing about Connor and Dylan months ago) - and then talked a bit about Auston’s difficult decision to skip Worlds this year, before Auston had told Connor why he had wanted to talk to him.

Connor was insightful, honest and empathetic about Auston’s reservations about taking on the captaincy this young. He shared his own experiences, and even experiences from other guys in the league that had gone through it.

“You have to do what’s right for you. Even Crosby postponed taking on the captaincy until he felt that he was ready”, Connor had told him, and Auston had resisted chirping him for being a walking Sidney Crosby Wikipedia article, since Mitch - yes, that’s how frequently Mitch made his way into Auston’s day-to-day life - had told Auston that Connor knew everything that there was to know about Crosby’s hockey career. Or maybe Crosby had told Connor himself, since Mitch had mentioned once that Connor and Crosby talked semi-regularly, and that Crosby had been awesome for taking Connor under his wing a bit, being one of the few people who would ever know what Connor went through.

Connor had been honest about his own reservations about the captaincy before taking it, the ups and downs of his first year as captain and what he would have done differently if he could go back in time. By the end of it, Auston knew what he wanted to do and what he’d tell the Leafs when they next reached out to him about it, like they had promised they would at his end-of-season interview.

“Have you mentioned this to Marns?” Connor then asked, and Auston realized that it had been eating away at him, the question of whether he could talk to Mitch about it.

“No,” he shook his head. “It’s...awkward. We’re both rookies and he’s every bit as important to this team as I am. It doesn’t feel right…”

Connor nodded understandingly. “Of course. I get it. But if it helps at all, Marns told me that he thinks you have ‘captain material’ written all over you.”

Auston could feel his heart swell with...something, but he bit on his lip to stop himself from blushing or bursting out into a dumb smile, both of which could happen any second now.

“He didn’t really say that,” he said to Connor, shaking his head with a look as if to say _oh come on_.

“But he did,” Connor smiled sincerely at him. “Marns says good things about you all the time, you know. He said that he expected you to be the captain at some point and he seemed excited for you.”

“Oh,” Auston said rather blankly, not knowing what to say. His mind was still stuck on _Marns says good things about you all the time_ , and he wasn’t quite ready to move on from that thought.

“You can’t be surprised though?” Connor asked, looking at him rather perceptively. Mitch had once warned him that Connor was the most perceptive guy of their age that he knew, and Auston was kind of figuring out what he had meant now.

Auston fought the urge to blush with every fibre of his being. “Oh, Marns is a beauty of a teammate. I guess it’s good to know that he hasn’t been talking shit about me,” he tried to laugh off the weird feeling that was engulfing him.

“Come on, he raves about you, you know that,” Connor said, his tone matter-of-fact, before taking a sip of something green and healthy-looking that Auston knew Mitch - Mitch _again_ \- would find disgusting.

“He’s a good guy,” Auston responded, and he meant it sincerely.

Mitch was one of the most generous, caring guys that he had ever known. It was probably why Auston had fallen into _whatever this feeling was_ with him and why everyone loved Mitch.

But that didn’t mean that Mitch reciprocated _whatever this feeling was_ , as Auston had to tell himself several times a day. Mitch was like that with everyone that he cared about, he reminded himself. And Mitch cared about all of his teammates and friends. He was just that kind of person.

And he was thoughtful. And fun. Auston had woken up that morning to a snap from Mitch, who was in Europe playing at Worlds. The snap was of Mitch standing in front of the Eiffel Tower with a big, silly grin on his face, and a caption that had said “you could have been here too but you’re lame”. Auston had smiled widely like an idiot upon receiving the snap, and if he had stared a little too long at the grin on Mitch’s face, no one had to know.

“He is. And I think you can talk to him about this captaincy thing,” Connor said, his tone encouraging. “You should tell him about it. He’d be so happy for you. And he’d be able to give you a different kind of insight, being on the team with you and knowing how the team works and stuff.”

It was a good point, Auston noted to himself, and was just about to agree aloud when Connor continued.

“And it would really hurt him if he had to hear it from someone else. I think he’d want to hear from his...from you,” and now Connor looked more awkward than those photos of him being hugged by random fans at the airport that had surfaced during the playoffs, which Auston and Mitch had laughed about incessantly over FaceTime. “Because...you know.”

Auston _didn’t_ know, and he must have looked confused, because Connor now looked mildly panicked. “You don’t have to say anything. It’s none of my business what you guys...I don’t want to be nosy. But I just think that you should tell him yourself because---”

“Wait,” Auston cut in, completely confused. “What are you talking about?”

Connor was downright blushing now. “Aren’t you guys...you know…” and now he was gesturing rather desperately, as if looking for the right words.

And then Auston suddenly clued in. Did Connor think that they were _dating_? _Each other_? He could feel his face heating up at the very idea.

 _No,_ a part of him was bursting with the truth, _but I’ve been thinking about it every damn day for most of the season and it’s been driving me crazy_.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied, forcing himself to look like he was still confused and not actually dying of embarrassment at having _Connor McDavid_ accuse him of dating the guy that he wished that he was dating.

Connor looked at him rather helplessly, as he finally managed to get the words out. “Dating. In a relationship. Whatever you want to call it. You and Mitch.”

“What?” Auston asked, hoping his voice sounded incredulous and wishing that he could ‘accidentally’ hang up on Connor right now. “No, why would you even think that?”

"Look, Matts, it’s none of my business, I really shouldn’t have said anything about this,” Connor was rambling now, and Auston was pretty sure that Connor’s face was bright red. “Please pretend I didn’t say anything.”

And Auston should have just taken Connor up on his offer, but for some reason he couldn’t let it go.

“No, _why_ would you think that Marns and I are…” and then Auston had to force himself to sound calm, which, if there was anything that he had learned from his first season playing in Toronto, it was how to keep his voice calm when he wanted to, “...dating?”

Connor now looked like he wanted to die, and Auston almost felt sorry for him, but he needed to know.

“I don’t know,” he sighed, shaking his head. “It’s just...Marns talks about you all the time. Like... _all_ the time…”

What? Connor was probably exaggerating, Auston told himself. And even if he did, Mitch was just enthusiastic. He was the most enthusiastic person that Auston had ever known. It didn’t mean anything, he told himself. _Right_?

“...and you couldn’t stop talking about him at All-Star Weekend, and he fought Ristolainen when he went after you during that game, and Mitch doesn’t _do_ that kind of thing, and…” Connor rambled, shaking his head, his face regretful and embarrassed. “Look, this is none of my business. I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sorry, Matts.”

A part of Auston wanted to say “yeah, you’re right, it’s none of your business” but then he remembered where this had all even come from. Connor had wanted him to tell Mitch about the captaincy discussion because he didn’t want Mitch to be hurt. This was all because Connor cared about Mitch. As Auston did. And then Auston softened, because how could he be mad at someone for caring about Mitch?

“We’re not dating,” he said slowly, keeping his face blank, as if he was answering another media question about whether he ever looked at Laine’s point totals. _As much as I wish we were_ , he thought to himself.

Connor nodded respectfully. “Okay. You didn’t have to tell me that, I know that. I’m sorry, I just…”

“I know you’re just looking out for Mitch,” Auston nodded, understandingly. “It’s okay.”

“I am, not that it makes it okay for me to...invade your privacy like that,” Connor replied, still looking painfully embarrassed. “But thank you.”

“It’s okay, Davo,” Auston smiled at him, trying to show Connor that it really was okay.

Connor seemed to smile back in relief.

“I mean it. It’s water under the bridge, or whatever that saying is,” Auston added.

“Team North America forever, eh?” Connor grinned, and Auston grinned too.

“Team North America forever, minus when the Leafs play the Oilers. Oh, and unless I’m on Team USA playing against you on Team Canada, in which case…”

“Don’t worry, you look good in silver,” Connor chirped, and they both laughed.

They moved onto reminiscing over some funny memories from the World Cup, and then Auston noticed the time on his iPad and realized that they had been talking for over an hour.

“Shit, I just realized the time. I’ve taken up enough of your time,” he said to Connor.

“Oh crap, I should get going - I’ve got some errands to run this afternoon,” Connor replied. “It was good chatting with you though, Matts.”

“Thanks for answering my questions about the captaincy thing,” Auston said sincerely. “That helped a lot.”

“I’m glad,” Connor broke out into a warm smile. “I’m sure that you’ll make the right decision for yourself, but I’m glad to have helped in any way. And…” he stopped smiling and paused, as if not sure whether to continue.

But Auston knew what he wanted to say. “I appreciate what you said. About telling Marns about it, I mean,” he said, genuinely appreciative of the advice. “He’s a good friend and you’re right, he deserves to hear it from me.”

Connor smiled again, relieved. “He’ll be happy that the team asked you about it, Matts. I know he will.”

After exchanging goodbyes, they hung up and Auston let out a big breath. He knew what he needed to do about the captaincy now. As for Mitch…

Auston couldn’t help but wonder...why had Connor been so sure that they were dating? 

**Author's Note:**

> The story's obviously not over this time, so please stay tuned!
> 
> I didn't want to get into what Auston ended up deciding to do with the captaincy question because I really have no idea what the Leafs are going to decide this offseason, but I don't find it outside the realm of possibility that the Leafs would have asked him what he thought about it during his end-of-season interview.
> 
> Oh, and somehow Connor has become an important part of this story, hence the series name. The kid can really do everything and anything.


End file.
